Taxi Driver Online

From Jan 2007 all the TX range must have ABS as standard according to the PCO and Cheyne Matthew of LTI
Cheyne said that LTI are now working on a system for the TX range and that ECC was wrong to ditch the turning circle in favor of other manufacturers, I pointed out to him this was done on safety grounds and that new EU legislation would mean that all new vehicles made for the UK market would have to have ABS by law.
I don't think he's a very happy chappy
And I think he blew a gasket when I mentioned that Edinburgh drivers would now be able to get rid of the over expensive cabs with the crap Ford engines

I think it's a good idea to have ABS fitted as standard, what is a joke is that you have to pay extra for air con!. Spend £30.000 on any other car and it comes as standard.

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stressed controller!!!

This note from LTI was sent to another driver.

Thank you for your recent enquiry with raises the question over the status of the TX braking system. It will be a PCO requirement as from January 2007 to have an ABS system fitted to all new vehicles. To comply with this, the TX series will have ABS fitted from January 2007. We are currently working on an ABS system.

It is not correct that ABS cannot be fitted to a vehicle with the turning circle and Edinburgh City council did not take this into account when they removed the necessity for the turning circle from their conditions. That decision was made following a flawed research document and poor advice from other manufacturers of converted vehicles and no detailed reference to the very extensive PCO report into the Metropolitan Conditions of Fitness.

I hope this answers your questions.

Regards

Matthew Cheyne
Sales & Marketing Director
LTI Vehicles

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ʎɐqǝ uo pɹɐoqʎǝʞ ɐ ʎnq ı ǝɯıʇ ʇsɐן ǝɥʇ sı sıɥʇ

Simply the best taxi forum in the whole wide world. www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Thats a good excuse to up the price once more.

It would appear drivers are so desperate to avoid buying the current Ford engined model they're spending the £2K on one of the 'Euro 3' upgrade kits.

I spoke to a driver on Wednesday who' just had it fitted to his L (1993 before the comments start) reg Fairway.

Wake up Mr Cheyne, I would buy a three year old cab from KPM's tomorrow, but theres no way, not with the current engine your using.

Remember the FX4 'R' series?

I have informed Matthew Cheyne of the site address, If he does not know it already he can see for himself what we think of the TX so get your gripes in now.
Or You can e mail him directly MCheyne@lti.co.uk and tell him what we want IE get rid of the ford engine stop charging for things that should be standard and give us a decent warranty and anything else you can think of.
Oh and drop the price

Methinks they would love to, but haven't got a pot to p*** in and can't afford it.

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IDFIMH

The Daily Telegraph

Motoring section Saturday 8th July 2006

ABS

"Anti-lock brakes aren't very effective in some circumstances. On loose surfaces such as Snow or gravel you need to build up a wedge in front of a locked wheel to help stopping but by pulsing the brakes, most anti-locking systems don't allow this to happen."

Andrew English, motoring correspondent.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for ABS, and he should know.

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Former taxi driver

Well next time I drive on snow or gravel I will bear that in mind. The other 99.9% of time I wont.

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IDFIMH

Here are some "Frequently Asked Questions about ABS"

1. While braking, will there be an indication if ABS is in operation?

When an ABS vehicle is braked, there will be a distinct pneumatic sound arising out of the modulator valve actuation. This indicates that the ABS is working normally

2. Will stopping distance be reduced because of ABS?

ABS does reduce stopping distance in most cases. This reduction is more significant at high speeds. However, the amount of reduction of stopping distance depends on the road surface. In some surfaces such as loose gravel & packed snow, a non-ABS vehicle under panic braking situations has a shorter stopping distance.

When a non-ABS vehicle brakes on loose gravel / packed snow, the wheels inevitably lock but the locked wheels push against the gravel/snow and a wedge is formed. This wedge aids in stopping the vehicle in a shorter distance. Of course, accelerating out of loose gravel is more difficult than shorter braking!

3. How is ABS better than the conventional air brake system?

Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) has an edge over the conventional air brake system on two fronts

i. ABS prevents wheel locking under panic braking and thus ensures vehicle stability by preventing skidding

ii. ABS enables the vehicle to be steered even during hard braking. This enables the driver to steer around an obstacle while braking simultaneously

4. Should one use the brakes differently with ABS?

Manual pumping of the brakes should be avoided in an ABS vehicle. Although pumping the brakes ensures safer stopping in a non-ABS vehicle, pumping interferes with ABS operation. ABS automatically pumps the brakes 5-6 times per second to prevent wheel locking

5. Is ABS fail-safe?

One of the salient features of ABS is its failsafe control philosophy. In the rare event of any malfunction of an ABS component, the ABS control shuts down automatically and normal conventional braking is operational. The ABS warning lamp comes ON and notifies the driver that ABS is not in operation

6. How to extract the maximum benefits out of ABS?

i. Familiarize with ABS. Test drive the vehicle in empty ground and practice ABS braking to get acquainted with ABS

ii. Depress the brake pedal and hold it down during braking. Do not pump the brakes

iii. Do not drive faster or take risky maneuvers because of ABS.

7. Can older vehicles be retrofitted with ABS?

Any vehicle with full air brake system can be retrofitted with ABS kit.

8. Will ABS performance be affected by a change in tire size during replacement?

Use of tires other than original equipment specification is not recommended. Optimum performance of ABS is obtained when tyre size matches with OEM specified one.

9. Should the existing air brake system be replaced to fit ABS?

SCL ABS is available as a retro fitment kit and need only be added on to the existing air brake system.

10. Will ABS work on all automobiles?

Sundaram-Clayton’s ABS has been developed entirely for vehicles operating on full air brake systems.

11. Will ABS ensure stability in all conditions?

ABS provides stability, steerability and safety only under sudden braking conditions. Fitment of ABS doesn’t encourage the driver to drive faster or take risky maneuvers.

It would be unlikely that an (american, above) manufacturer of ABS would not speak about it in anything but glowing terms.
THere would be more chance of GBC advising punters to use licensed PH

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Former taxi driver

So what bit's wrong Jimbo?

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Of course, you're incorrect there Jimbo, because the piece makes exactly the same point that you made above, thus more balance than your own selective quoting?

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

anohter permanently lit light on the TX dash board then...

Nothing is "wrong" I still maintain that ABS, air bags, etc, do not PREVENT accidents. Drive to the conditions, and they are not needed.

From 1992-96 I drove a F reg metrocab with drum brakes all round. The stopping distances, compared to disc brake fitted fairways, was, poor. But I knew that, and therefore KEPT MY DISTANCE. The poor beast died when someone ran head on into me, something ABS would have been of no use in. Some road safety experts think that air bags may have caused more deaths than they have saved. To anyone who is thinking of saying in reply that they have been saved on many occaisions by ABS should really be taking a look at their own driving ability. I still don't speed, I still have a clean license, and I still have maximum no claims bonus.

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Former taxi driver

Well, precisely. And the 99.9 (or 99.9999%) ABS will be no more or less useful. But how many drivers on ice will be thinking, "no worries, I got ABS?"

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Former taxi driver